Classic & Vintage - No bikes were hurt making this fixie

I put together this fixed gear from a partially complete bike I was given. Nothing was cut off - including the handlebars. I think she's sharp. Note - I will adjust the saddle before her virgin ride. The saddle is new, but with big rivets and springs. I thought I'd try it out.

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/1829/1002073ps2.th.jpg (http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1002073ps2.jpg)http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4678/1002064ql0.th.jpg (http://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1002064ql0.jpg)http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/3645/1002074sa1.th.jpg (http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1002074sa1.jpg)
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5497/1002070ng0.jpg

Very Sharp! Glad to see a fixie done right. Kudos, Robtown!

I like the way your chain picks up the blue in the 'Lotus'.

Very good job :D .

East Hill

Very nice. Looks the perfect conversion frame.

I see your very nice conversion and raise you one Purple Mistake (http://flickr.com/photos/unregisteredcoward/sets/72157603220672327/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2468511083_cc1d50f367.jpg

Started with the whole bike, wound up with just frame, fork and front brake. I did save all the bits and pieces just in case I want to put it all back together.

Very Sharp! Glad to see a fixie done right. Kudos, Robtown!

+1! Great thread title too:D

Only thing that perished on this '74 Raleigh Grand Prix was the original front fork (which I still have) - claimed by a stuck stem and a lack of grease - and the original paint (abused beyond recognition). A can of black with gold pinstripes resulted in a nice pseudo-Raleigh Competition.

http://www.jaysmarine.com/BDC_bikes_raleigh_gs_lg.jpg

-Kurt

My 77' Grand Jubilee currently on CL.

http://www.offcenterdesign.org/images/mgjside.jpg
http://www.offcenterdesign.org/images/mgjfront.jpg
http://www.offcenterdesign.org/images/mgj3:4.jpg

I'm building my first fixie right now and I have two questions:

Other thn clean looks, is there any reason not to run two brakes?

Why the tiny chainrings? Is it just for chainstay clearance?

I'm building my first fixie right now and I have two questions:

Other thn clean looks, is there any reason not to run two brakes?

Nope.

My Le Champion built-up fixed.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/koskid/DSC03845.jpg

Why the tiny chainrings? Is it just for chainstay clearance?

Fixed cogs typically are between about 15 and 18 teeth. Once you've got that, choose a chainring that gives the gear you want.

I'm building my first fixie right now and I have two questions:

Other thn clean looks, is there any reason not to run two brakes?

Why the tiny chainrings? Is it just for chainstay clearance?
2 brakes are fine with me, and with no hills around here, we can stay on the big chainring.
Like those before us, I saved every part of the animal. I can be back to 2x7 speed in about an hour.
I doubt I can find a pink chain, but the thought did cross my mind....

If it doesn't sell, I'm taking my chrome fork off of eBay and giving this bike some bling.
http://velospace.org/files/P1040471.JPG

I applaud the redundancy provided by a rear brake. Besides, if you like to ride on the brake hoods, you will want to brake handles, anyway. I still predict a well deserved early death for this whole ridiculous fixie fad -- the only thing sillier is a single-speed freewheel conversion.

Fixed cogs typically are between about 15 and 18 teeth. Once you've got that, choose a chainring that gives the gear you want.

I've had no trouble finding cogs with up to 22 teeth. That's 62.4 gear inches with a 52 ring and 700X25 tire and I wouldn't want to go lower than that. Bigger gears are more efficient and last longer, or so I've been told.

Is it really because the small chainrings look cool?

Is it really because the small chainrings look cool?

Big is cool!

http://www.racingunion.org/Data/binary/Ron-with-chainrings.jpg

Neal

Big is cool!

+1!

Small chainrings drive me bezerk. Bring on those TA 3-pins with big rings (Dirtdrop's Carlton comes to mind).

-Kurt

Here is one of my own bikes, 86 Schwinn Peloton. Most of the parts are way different now, and I should really take some new photos of it. I have the entire stock drivetrain in case I decide to put it back to its mostly original geared status.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1081/539716898_ab9a681d49.jpg

And here are a few I have built in the past and sold through CL:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2127/1528128701_d1a2e13a90.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1350/1190519704_01910c8893.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1005/527878154_4b3d512d1d.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1029/528967139_7aecde0fa2.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1061/1245338605_629cba256c.jpg

All of my builds have had a front brake only, and my own personal conversions only have a single brake if they have one. I think most people use a small chainring (inner ring on double) is because with a easily found 15t or 16t it gives you a good ratio to use. With using the outer ring of a 52t or 53t you need a bigger cog, and most places don't stock anything over a 17t or maybe a 18t.

I applaud the redundancy provided by a rear brake. Besides, if you like to ride on the brake hoods, you will want to brake handles, anyway. I still predict a well deserved early death for this whole ridiculous fixie fad -- the only thing sillier is a single-speed freewheel conversion.

The only thing we have to fix, is fixed itself.

Here is a (bad) photo of my progressing '76 Voyageur II fixie project:

http://www.jaysmarine.com/voy_7.jpg

Just short a 26.6 seatpost, handlebar stem, bar tape, and brake levers equipped with built-in adjusters (my favorites for non-stock builds - much easier to adjust) at this point.

-Kurt

I still predict a well deserved early death for this whole ridiculous fixie fad -- the only thing sillier is a single-speed freewheel conversion.

Why is it silly? I like my single speed. I have a geared bike, well, several, so why not a single speed? its clean and there are no cables to bind me, lol. Really its a cool bike and light. I have also noticed after riding it a while and going back to a geared bike I fly up hills with my new found massive hams from the single speed. Go git 1 you will love it.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/jstar1000/Raleigh%20Pursuit/P4070024.jpg

This bike was hurt before I got to it. Never finished filing off those shifter bosses. They were added in the 80s at the same time as the paint.

I love this bike, it the most beat up one in my stable and it gets all the abuse. Errand around town bike though lately I have been getting a hankering for a porteur... anyone got a 25" Mixte?

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/315748-2/IMG_1501.JPG

Currently testing my Imperial on it.. not that great....

You may notice the reject corky stickers on it... I have heard everything...

"Is that a Marinoni?.... Raleigh? English? Italian?" you name it, everything except french. Which is what it is a 1975 Jeunet...

That blue & white fade paintjob reminds me of a Ten Speed Drive Tomasso sans the chrome from the early 80's. I still want one...



This bike was hurt before I got to it. Never finished filing off those shifter bosses. They were added in the 80s at the same time as the paint.

I love this bike, it the most beat up one in my stable and it gets all the abuse. Errand around town bike though lately I have been getting a hankering for a porteur... anyone got a 25" Mixte?

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/d/315748-2/IMG_1501.JPG

Currently testing my Imperial on it.. not that great....

You may notice the reject corky stickers on it... I have heard everything...

"Is that a Marinoni?.... Raleigh? English? Italian?" you name it, everything except french. Which is what it is a 1975 Jeunet...

Okay, while we're at it, here's my 1981 Apollo Gran Sport:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2393417440_c21ec6d86f_o.jpg

Over the next few months I plan on making it into more of a porteur/utility bicycle - changing the bars and stem, making the gearing a little easier and adding a front rack, once I find one that is both affordable and strong.

John E prolly doesn't have the legs to push a singlespeed up hill. well, maybe once dismounted.

what's wrong with singlespeed? they're just bicycles, for crying out loud. they're machines, and as long as you treat them with respect and care that any machine requires, even a classic piece of lugged steel, why does it matter how they're configured? It's not like it's dismembering a baby we're talking about. Nobody here is defending the chopping of an Eddy Merckx or a 1960s Bianchi, BTW. and single speed is more classic than multigeared anyway...

If you don't like it, don't complain, just exercise your right not to ride one. but once you do, you'll fall in love with it too.

My Bridgestone RB5 singlespeed
http://www.bikemandan.com/bikesforsale/IMG_2237.JPG
Being an RB5 it had terrible components so singlespeed was really an overall improvement

Okay, while we're at it, here's my 1981 Apollo Gran Sport:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2393417440_c21ec6d86f_o.jpg

Over the next few months I plan on making it into more of a porteur/utility bicycle - changing the bars and stem, making the gearing a little easier and adding a front rack, once I find one that is both affordable and strong.

Sweet lookin' Ride!

Just to be different here is my fixie.:D
70882

It has had one non-reversible mod - I ground off the chain guard holder so that I could fit a decent size front chainring on. It is currently running 52x15 but that is only 65 gear inches.

I brought it as a frame with the stem, front brake, bottom bracket and have built it up into a useful little commuter. It now has full length mudguards on it and soon will have the dynohub connected to some lights.

We start out in diapers.
Then we get a single speed trike.
Then we have other bikes with and without gears.
If we stay active, we get old.
Then we get a single speed trike.
Then we get back in diapers.
Full circle.

John E prolly doesn't have the legs to push a singlespeed up hill. ...

That's precisely my point. If I gear it at 50 inches for the 12 to 14% climbs I often encounter, I won't be able to keep up with traffic on the flats or descents. If I gear it at 70 inches for the flats, I won't have the legs to push it up a 12% grade. The old English 3-speeds with the Sturmey AW hubs had a pretty decent range of 50" for climbs, 66" for level cruising, and 88" for descents, but the jumps between gears were too severe for my tastes. Widen that range to at least a full 2:1, such as 94 down to 47, and provide enough gears for a 6 or 7 percent progression, and you have a nearly optimal system which will make efficient use of the rider's power output over varying terrain without taxing the chain windup capacity of a vintage derailleur system. Friction or even linear indexed shifter and derailleur systems are so simple, rugged, and reliable that the single speed simplicity argument completely eludes me. My admittedly strong bias is that selecting the proper gear at the proper time is an important part of the fun of cycling.

... Bigger gears are more efficient and last longer, or so I've been told.
... For any given gear ratio, a larger chainring and cog combination will always outlast a smaller set. As tooth count drops, driveline longevity falls even faster, because increasing force along the chain is shared by a decreasing number of teeth. If you want 54 gear-inches, a 52-26 combination will significantly outlast a 38-19.

two cents: I absolutely love riding geared, namely like you said, to be able to select the perfect gear on every grade.

however all shifting systems have their upkeep and maintenance, and I have used and maintained my share of five, ten, and 27 speed bikes. the fixed gear and singlespeed bike is meant to be as simple as possible to basically rule out maintenance, while remaining an emminently rideable bike.

and if its strength you miss, i do suggest a fixed gear. I run low, about 70 gear inches due to all of the hills I regularly must crest. However I can make it to the top of a 25% grade at running speed, usually to the suprise of fellow cyclists and pedestrians. It comes down to becoming a stronger cyclist, and learning proper positioning for both climbing and sprinting.

IMHO everyone should ride a fixed gear until they learn how to pedal, climb and sprint, only then should they be allowed to get a real geared bike.

It seems to me that a SS/FG is perfect for a girl with no tools and no knowlege of bike maintenance going to college in the flat San Joaquin Valley of California. That's why I'm building one for my daughter.

I considered a folder for her, because she could carry it in the trunk of her car, but I'm afraid she'd poke a brake lever into one of her 12" woofers.

All I have to say to you nay-sayers: don't knock it till you try it. You all know I love my geared bike, but some of the most fun I've had on a bike has been on a fixed gear. You don't have to butcher a frame to ride it fixed. Hell, a fixed gear conversion of a mid-level road frame is one of the most C&V things you can do! Winter trainers and all that.

I've posted it once before, but since this is the proper venue . . . . .

The bike that got me back into riding - a '64 Raleigh Gran Sport, way too beaten to ever restore to original, but you don't throw out something this important in your life. Dual brakes because you don't skid stop tubulars:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q10/sykerocker/British%20Bikes/RaleighGranSport1.jpg

Is my schwinn fixie:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2147888184_1c44352148.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2147888670_1acc4525a5.jpg


Dual brakes because I mainly ride in the hoods and just want the symmetry. Little mudguards because I sometimes ride through sprinkler runoff and they work as well as they need to.

i really like that bike timj its really clean, really tasteful.

and fixed with tubs! thats very classic.

I'm building my first fixie right now and I have two questions:

Other thn clean looks, is there any reason not to run two brakes?

Why the tiny chainrings? Is it just for chainstay clearance?

If I had to guess, I'd say they were the inside rings of a road double crank. Size doesn't really matter unless you are into coolness points. If you are, then get a Stayer crankset and make everyone bow to you.

You can use the front brake to stop you and also to unweight the back wheel. Then you just lock that rear wheel up with your legs. Very effective stopping.

I use two brakes myself but then I'm a big wuss. :rolleyes:

I've posted it once before, but since this is the proper venue . . . . .

The bike that got me back into riding - a '64 Raleigh Gran Sport, way too beaten to ever restore to original, but you don't throw out something this important in your life. Dual brakes because you don't skid stop tubulars:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q10/sykerocker/British%20Bikes/RaleighGranSport1.jpg

Nice fixed gear bike Syke!

Way to keep it real with tubulars. Now that"s C&V! Clinchers are for modern bikes.

Just in case you haven't seen them, Check these out: LINK 1 (http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle#100152&bgcolor=black&view=grid) LINK 2 (http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle#100168&bgcolor=black&view=grid)

Here's a poor shot of the '74 PA10 I'm building for my daughter.

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/31814/2324927580068014369S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2324927580068014369hQjxeU)

I upgraded the brakes from Racers to Competitions with Mathauser pads. The pedals, stem and bars are from a '74 PX10. Those tubular wheels are only temporary.

My 1981 Trek 710 w/ Flip Flop hub

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k292/bylar13/001-1.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k292/bylar13/002.jpg

I upgraded the brakes from Racers to Competitions with Mathauser pads.

Are those the finned Mathausers? If so, use them with caution - enough aging, heat, or a combination of the two will cause the rubber to un-glue from the mounting without warning. Nearly had it happen on my Peugeot PSV-10.

-Kurt

Are those the finned Mathausers? If so, use them with caution - enough aging, heat, or a combination of the two will cause the rubber to un-glue from the mounting without warning. Nearly had it happen on my Peugeot PSV-10.

-Kurt

No fins. Standard beveled mounting, but oversized. I don't know how well they work yet. They're old and may be dried out. I refuse to test ride it before it has a seat. It's not easy to find a vintage 25.4 seatpost, but one is on its way.

....If it doesn't sell, I'm taking my chrome fork off of eBay and giving this bike some bling.....http://velospace.org/files/P1040471.JPG

The lady who ordered it this way, because she hated shifting, just decided she wants gears on it. I'll put them back on, better than before, but the bike's going on the open market....enough.

It's not easy to find a vintage 25.4 seatpost, but one is on its way.

Can't say that I could have helped, but give me a buzz when you need a 25.0.

-Kurt

My admittedly strong bias is that selecting the proper gear at the proper time is an important part of the fun of cycling.


Which is why I like modern 10 speed Campy so much. :D

And, another Lotus singlespeed.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/LotusElan003a.jpg

just cause everyone else is posting their conversions, heres my 88 Schwinn Circuit with Shimano Sante components.
the first setup with cheapo vuelta wheels.
http://a286.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/60/l_3d7b2031a9261b585bca6942ffd70325.jpg

decided to changed the look, so i took everything off, painted it, added white Deep v wheels.
i dont know where my current picture is, but heres basically with it bare

http://a651.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/94/l_a543c76cddd7fb31f0e872418977b74a.jpg

http://a651.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/94/l_a543c76cddd7fb31f0e872418977b74a.jpg[/QUOTE]



Nice Velocipede conversion you've got there!

BBattle, that Caminargent is sick. I've never heard of them before but that is some real craftsmanship.

just cause everyone else is posting their conversions, heres my 88 Schwinn Circuit with Shimano Sante components.

I thought this thread was for fixies that were not harmed in any way from their relative original state (new paint, in your case) unless they absolutely needed it. The original Circuit paint appeared in decent condition from the before photo.

Pretty dicey bringing Deep V's into any C&V thread, you know :eek:

-Kurt